Washington D.C Mayor Vincent Gray recently told Bruce DePuyt on TBD.com’s NewsTalk that he doesn’t think the Washington Redskins should pursue Peyton Manning. Looks like I’m not a voice crying in the wilderness on this issue.

I’ve been saying this for weeks.

This is the second D.C. official to take interest in the future endeavors of the Washington Redskins. Recently the Redskins nation had to deal with the rants of former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. After watching the New York Giants “ether” the New England Patriots (for all you Nas fans out there), the former Mayor went on a tweeting spree about how he wanted the Washington Redskins to come back to D.C. Barry currently serves in the District of Columbia as Councilmember for Ward 8.

In the interview, Mayor Gray said, “You know, I think it depends on what role he would play. But I really think the Redskins need a quarterback that they can build with for the future. You know, Andrew Luck is probably going to go to the Colts, but there’s Robert Griffin III, and there’s a couple other promising quarterbacks that are out there.”

He added, “We’ve kind of been down this pathway with quarterbacks who’ve been great but maybe are in the back end of their career, and even if he comes in and plays a year or two, where do we go from there?”

He’s right. It’s time we stop playing the back end. The Washington Redskins need to be out front getting fresh talent. While there have been many great quarterbacks that many thought were done, the Redskins do not have the time. Either develop a new face or take a risk with an old one. Either way we can’t have Rex Grossman in the pocket. When he’s the “best player” in the 2011 season, it’s time to raise the bar.